The Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams is the first book in Miracle Springs, North Carolina series. Nora Pennington owns Miracle Books in Miracle
Springs, North Carolina. The town is
known to be a place of healing and Nora is known locally as a
bibliotherapist. A man in the park
wishes Nora‘s help, so she suggests that he pick up a comfort scone from
Gingerbread House and come to her shop.
Before he can get to Nora for assistance, Neil Parrish is found dead on
the train tracks. When the police rule
it a suicide, Nora along with Estella, June and Hester form The Secret, Book
and Scone Society. Their purpose is get
the truth about the man’s demise. They
delve into Neil’s life to uncover what could have gotten him killed. They knew he came to town ahead of his
partner’s and he was wrestling with a problem.
When the four ladies meet to discuss what they have uncovered, each
member of the group reveals the secret that brought them to Miracle Springs. These four
women band together to get justice for one man and find themselves embroiled in
a corruption scandal. The best thing to
come out of this is four lone woman find friendship, love and acceptance.

The Secret, Book and Scone Society is well-written and engaging. My
attention was captured right away with Nora’s description. I found the four main characters to be
personable yet flawed from life’s tragedy.
They were fleshed out and given life—very realistic. Each one is unique. There are also some characters (namely
Sheriff Todd Hendricks) that readers will really dislike and wish to maim. I did not like how the police treated women
in this book (I know it was part of the story, but it was offensive). I liked the description of the town, the
Gingerbread House, Nora’s home (it is in a red train caboose) and, most
especially, Miracle Books. My rating for
The Secret, Book and Scone Society is 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). The book contained more cozy elements than
mystery. I was hoping for a more complex
whodunit (like is Ms. Adams Murder in the Mystery Suite). I did
like the authors use of misdirection in this book. I will be reading the next book in this series. I am curious what these ladies will get up to next time.

Thank you for visiting today. By the way--What did the mummy say to the detective?Let's wrap this case up! May each of you have a wicked Halloween! Take care and Happy Reading!KrisThe Avid Reader

Monday, October 30, 2017

The Amish Christmas Candle
contains three Amish stories written by Jennifer Beckstrand, Kelly Long and
Lisa Jones Baker. Snow Shines on Ice
Mountain by Kelly Long is set in Ice Mountain, Pennsylvania. Naomi Gish makes and sells candles in her
shop. She has been trying to convince
her father, Bud to give up running moonshine.
Bud hires Grayson Fisher to work in Naomi’s shop during the day and run
moonshine for him at night (sneaky).
Gray is bitter from an accident when he was fourteen that lost him the
use of his right arm. During the holiday
season miracles can happen. Is it
possible for these two to find love and happiness this Christmas season?

A Honeybee Christmas by Jennifer
Beckstrand tells the story of Bitsy Kiem.
Bitsy is on her own now that the three nieces she raised are happily
married. One day, Yost Weaver stops by
with his grandson, Levi. Levi “borrowed”
some bee equipment from Bitsy and needs to make restitution. Bitsy wants to start a candle making business
and Levi can be her apprentice. Yost
will not allow his grandson to spend time alone with the unconventional Bitsy
and insists upon accompanying him. Yost
and Bitsy become reacquainted. Can these
two very different people find a way to be together?

The Christmas Candle by Lisa
Jones Baker revolves around Lydia Schultz.
Lydia injures her ankle on the way home and John King (King’s Bakery)
stops to assist her. King’s Bakery
provides cinnamon rolls for Christmas treats for those in need every year. This year the list has doubled and they might
not be able to provide them. Lydia
misses her sister, Anna since she married and moved to Ohio. Every Christmas they would decide on a
Christmas blessing and make it happen. Lydia
and John team up to help each other and other this Christmas.

The Amish Christmas Candle has
three heartwarming Amish stories. My
favorite is A Honeybee Christmas. It is
well-written, has delightful characters and plenty of humor. Bitsy is quite a character (I wish I had her
gumption and zest for life). I am glad
the author gave us Bitsy’s story (from the Honey Bee Sisters trilogy). All three novellas are easy to read and have
good life lessons (honesty, truth, love, value of compromise, true meaning of
Christmas). Snow Shine on Ice Mountain
is heavy on romance (a little sappy), but the father was so mischievous. I liked the bayberry candle (it was
interesting to find out they were made) and the Christmas miracle. There is a preview of An Amish Courtship on Ice Mountain at the end which tells the story of Bishop Umble. The Christmas Candle had a slower pace than
the other stories, but it has a lovely ending.
There is a recipe for the cinnamon rolls and an excerpt for Rachel’s Dream. I give The Amish Christmas Candle
4 out of 5 stars (I liked it).

Sunday, October 29, 2017

I hope that you are having a lovely, uneventful Sunday. Vannetta Chapman has her new Defending America series available for pre-order on Amazon. The two titles are Coyote's Revenge and Roswell's Secret. They will be released on December 20.

Seashells, Spells and Caramels by Erin Johnson is the first book in the Spells and Caramels series. Imogen has almost enough money saved to open
the bakery she has been dreaming of for years.
Catering her difficult boss’s rehearsal dinner will give her the last
bit of funds needed. At the party she is
given a flyer for a baking contest to become the next Royal Head Baker. After a fire destroys her apartment and wipes
out her savings, Imogen is delighted to find out that she has been accepted
into the contest. She takes the last of
her money and flies to France that night.
Imogen discovers that magic is real and that she is a witch. With no clue how to work her magic, Imogen
struggles with the various contest challenges.
It is especially difficult since her flame, Iggy is unwilling to
cooperate (they do not have electricity).
After a particularly difficult challenge, one of her fellow competitors
drops dead from poisoning and Imogen is the prime suspect. Imogen will need to find the guilty party
while keeping herself in the competition. Is there a chance of Imogen winning the
competition? Who is behind the
murder?

Seashells, Spells and Caramels is
a fast-paced novel that I found thoroughly entertaining. It is nicely written, has great characters,
magic, mayhem, a little romance, mischief, humor, and murder.
I started reading this book late one evening and did not go to sleep
until I finished it. Iggy, the flame,
was a unique character. He had such
personality and the author really brought him to life for me. Erin Johnson has a great writing style that
make for a fun, enjoyable read. I
laughed out loud many times (there was giggling and chuckling too) while
reading this paranormal mystery. Imogen’s
clumsiness reminds me of my own (I am lucky I have not set fire to my kitchen. There have been some singed paper towels,
food and dishtowels.). The mystery was
intriguing, but it can be solved before the reveal (but it did not hinder my
enjoyment). I appreciated the
misdirection employed in the story. I was delighted with the unique world the
author created. My rating for Seashells, Spells and Caramels is 5 out of 5 stars.
I am eager to read the next magical installment in the Spells and
Caramels series which is Black Arts, Tarts and Gypsy Carts. Both books are available through the Kindle Unlimited Program on Amazon.

I will return tomorrow with my evaluation of The Amish Christmas Candle by Kelly Long, Jennifer Beckstrand and Lisa Jones Baker. By the way--What did one library book say to the other?Can I take you out?Have a spooktacular day and Happy Reading!

Holiday Murder by Leslie Meier
contains Mistletoe Murder and Christmas Cookie Murder (two Lucy Stone Mystery novels). Go back to the very beginning
of the Lucy Stone Mystery series in Mistletoe Murder. Lucy works nights in the Country Cousins call
center while her children are at home sleeping with her husband, Bill. Lucy steps outside the call center (needs the
cool air to help wake her up) and finds Sam Miller, one of the Country Cousins
founders, dead in his car. The police
suspect suicide, but Lucy is not so sure.
Lucy works with Officer Barney Culpepper to discover what happened to
Sam. In between she must get ready for
Christmas (clean the house before family arrives, wrap presents, bake cookies)
and help her mother, Helen who is still grieving for her husband who passed
away earlier in the year. Can Lucy wrap
up her investigation in time for a happy Christmas with the family?

Christmas Cookie Murder is the
sixth book in the Lucy Stone Mystery series.
Lucy Stone is assisting Sue Finch at the day care center when Officer
Barney Culpepper stops by with news that Tucker Whitney was found
strangled. Tucker was Sue’s assistant at
the center. Dr. Steve Cummings is the prime
suspect and ends up arrested. Lucy, who
just loves a good mystery, starts nosing around trying to find clues to the
real killer’s identity. Who could have
wanted Tucker dead and why?

Holiday Murder was just
delightful. I had read both books
previously, but it was nice to revisit them.
I had forgotten many of the details on how the series started (like Lucy
working at Country Cousins). I found
Holiday Murder to be well-written, contain great characters and have a nice
flow. Leslie Meier has a great writing
style which makes for an easy to read story that is enjoyable and entertaining. I like how the author mingles the mystery
with Lucy’s daily life. It is a great
combination. We get to know Lucy, Bill,
her kids and their friends. My rating
for Holiday Murder is 5 out of 5 stars (I loved it). I was hooked on this series from the moment I
picked up and read Mistletoe Murder (many years ago when I discovered the
series in my local library). There is a
preview of Turkey Trot Murder at the end of the book. For those of you who have not read the whole
series, pick up Holiday Murder for two delightful Christmas cozy
mysteries.

The Silver Gun by L.A. Chandlar
is the first book in An Art Deco Mystery series. Lane Sanders is aide to the 99th
New York City Mayor Fiorello “Fio” LaGuardia.
It has been busy with Fio’s efforts to stop the various gang enterprises
in the city (slot machines for example) and his many reform ideas. One night at the scene of a fire, Lane is
grabbed and threatened. One of the gangs
is trying to scare off Fio through Lane.
This is just the beginning of their efforts to scare Lane and get Fio
out of office. Lane and her friends work
to find out which gang leader is behind the attacks and stop them before the
violence escalates. Lane has noticed a
handsome man that seems to be following her.
Is he out to help her or a part of the conspiracy?

The Silver Gun has a wonderful,
strong female main character in Lane Sanders (well thought out and developed). Lane is spunky and has moxie. L.A. Chandlar did her research for An Art
Deco Mystery series. She captured the
era, the city and did a wonderful job at portraying the dynamic Fiorello
LaGuardia. My rating for The Silver Gun
is 3 out of 5 stars. I did think that
the pace of the novel was slow. The
author put so many details, events, and characters into the story that it made
the story seem lengthy (and at times it read like a book on the history of the
era). I wish the author had a different
writing style. It would have made a
world of difference (if she wrote like Leslie Meier, Laura Childs, Ellery Adams
or Kate Carlisle for example). The
mystery seemed complicated, but it is easily solved early in the story. I did find it unusual that Lane seemed to
meet the same people no matter where she was in the city. Fio seemed to arrive
at any incident in the city within minutes of it being reported (sometimes
faster). I was curious how Fio showed up
before Lane has been rescued from the train tracks. Her family also arrived equally as
quick. I thought adding the famous
painter (name would be a spoiler) to the story was a bit of a stretch (just
made me roll my eyes in disbelief).

Thank you for reading my latest review. I will be featuring Holiday Murder by Leslie Meier tomorrow. Have a charming day, take care and Happy Reading!KrisThe Avid Reader

March of Crime by Jess Lourey is
the eleventh installment in The Murder-By-Month Mystery series. Mira James is
at the Turtle Stew with Ron Sims, owner of Battle Lake Recall, discussing a
series of articles he wants written. She
is shocked when she discovers the “person” next to her is actually one of Ida
Gilbertson’s life-sized dolls that she is displaying around town. When Mira attempts to flee the Turtle Stew
without encountering Mayor Kennie Rogers (she might have another unusual
business idea), she knocks over the doll and gets a surprise. They discover a corpse inside the dolls
clothes. Chief of Police Gary Wohnt is
happy to blame Mira for the crime (of course).
Mira sets out to find the killer and avoid being locked up in the
poky. It would be difficult to continue
her career if she was in the hoosegow plus what are the chances of conjugal
visits from Johnny.

March of Crime is different from
the earlier books in The Murder-By-Month Mystery series. It fell outside the cozy category with the foul
language, intimate relations and the crude references (phone sex line for
example). I thought the pace was slow
which made the book seem so very long (it was only 266 pages). I am amazed my eyeballs did not pop out from
the number of times I rolled my eyes.
The over-the-top characters (everyone seems “quirky” or eccentric) and
Kennie Rogers idiotic business ideas were not humorous to me (my mother,
though, laughed through the whole book).
There is little action until the very end of the book. I felt like Mira opened her mouth on the first
page (told from first person POV) and never stopped talking (what is called
“verbal diarrhea”). March of Crime can
be a stand-alone novel. Mira and her
history is thoroughly discussed in the first chapter. The mystery is not one easily solved unless the
reader is a master mystery sleuth. I
will tell you that one clue is the key to solving it. My rating for March of Crime is 3 out of 5
stars (I gave it a 2 and my mother a 4). If you have a delicate stomach, I
would suggest not reading the food descriptions (Minnesota Hot Dish for
example). I did like Ida’s comment that
dolls make people happy—I totally agree (I prefer Raggedy Ann). March of Crime is for readers who prefer zany
over-the-top characters, hare-brained business ideas and ribald humor.

Thank you for visiting today. I will be sharing my thoughts on The Silver Gun by L.A. Chandlar. It is the first book in An Art Deco Mystery series. May you have a remarkable day. and Happy Reading!

Merry and Bright by Debbie Macomber is set in Seattle, Washington.
Merry Knight is a temp at Matterson Consulting. Her contract will be up on December 23 and
Merry will be glad for the break. Her
by-the-book boss has been pushing the workers and the mandatory overtime has
put a kink in her social life. Merry’s
mother (Robin) and brother (Patrick) set up a profile for her on Mix and Mingle
with a photo of their dog. They want to
find someone for Merry who will be interested in her as a person (not her
outward appearance). Merry is stunned,
but, to her surprise, one man stands out to her. He did use a photo of himself either (his
childhood dog). The pair start chatting
online at night while Merry deals with her difficult boss during the day. After getting to know each other, they agree
to meet in person and Merry is astonished by the man’s identity. It is the last person she expected to see or
wanted to. To find out what happens
between Merry and her online suitor, pick up a copy of Merry and Bright.

Merry and Bright is a fun,
entertaining story (Debbie Macomber never disappoints). It has good characters, a lovely city (I want
to live there), a cute premise, and a set during a magical time of year--Christmas. I liked the themes presented in the story—Christmas
is a condition of the heart (isn’t that just beautiful), kindness, generosity,
openness, showing love to those we cherish, bad things about assumptions,
misconceptions and judgements can be harmful/detrimental. I found Merry and Bright to be well-written
with a nice ease to the writing (it flowed nicely). My rating for Merry and Bright is 4 out of 5
stars (I liked it). My one critique is
the story is predictable. Once I started
reading, I accurately predicted the rest of the story. Merry and Bright is a lovely, heartwarming
Christmas tale that will delight fans of Debbie Macomber.

Thank you for visiting today. I will return tomorrow with my review of March of Crime by Jess Lourey. Have a beautiful day and Happy Reading!KrisThe Avid Reader

Dial Meow for Murder by Bethany Blake is the second book in A Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series. Daphne Templeton owns Lucky Paws PetSitting
in Sylvan Creek, Pennsylvania. Daphne is
setting up her table for the Fur-ever Friends Pet Rescue gala fundraiser at
Flynt Mansion which is being hosted by Lillian Flynt who is currently MIA. Daphne gets tasked with tracking down Lillian’s
missing cat, Tinkleston and discovers Lillian dead in her bathroom (found the
missing CD players too which explains the lack of electricity). Detective Jonathan Black is assigned the case
and Daphne is happy to leave the sleuthing to him. However, when Maeve Templeton, Daphne’s
mother, ends up at the top of the suspect list, Daphne has no choice but to
start prowling for clues. Daphne has her
hands full with her business, moving into the caretaker’s cottage, tetchy Tinkleston
and tracking down a killer. Then she
discovers that Maeve’s new client who wishes to purchase the Flynt Mansion is
Jonathan’s ex-wife, Elyse Hunter. What
is Daphne willing to do to expose a killer?
Find out in Dial Meow for Murder.

Dial Meow for Murder is a cozy
mystery for readers who like hilarity and hijinks. Daphne is flighty, bumbling, reckless, and scattered
(lost her new business cards, trouble with cell phone, daydreams frequently,
stole evidence from crime scene, disregards chain of custody for evidence and
so much more). Would you trust your
precious pet (i.e. your baby) with this woman?
I would not trust Daphne to watch a cactus. On the flip side, I do like
Daphne’s interactions with her dog, Socrates.
My rating for Dial Meow for Murder is 3 out of 5 stars (okay, but I am the wrong audience for this book). The killer stood out like a red wine stain on
a white tablecloth. There are two big
clues that provide the answer (if you need them). I wanted less silliness and more mystery
(more action and less zany). I found
Dial Meow for Murder to be cliché and predictable. I felt the writing lacked polish. I do enjoy light-hearted stories (Seashells, Spells and Caramels for example), but Dial Meow for Murder was not one of
them. Even my mother (who normally likes
this type of book) found Dial Meow for Murder over-the-top. Dial Meow for Murder can be read alone. All the details a reader needs are provided. The first book in this series is Death by Chocolate Lab. The next book in A Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series is Pawprints and Predicaments (I will skip this one).

A Simple Wish by Charlotte Hubbard is the second book in a Simple Gifts series. Loretta Riehl is surprised when Will
Gingerich expresses his interest in courting her again. She no longer feels the same way about Will,
but she has definite feelings about Drew Detweiler. Loretta is ready to spread her wings and get
out from under her father’s thumb (and away from his moods). She accepts a position working at Simple
Gifts craft shop owned by Nora Hooley.
Nora provides a place for local crafts people to sell their goods and
she provides guidance for the women in the community. Cornelius Riehl is a difficult man to live
since the passing of his wife. Drew
cannot help but notice that Cornelius makes numerous buying trips for clock parts. Drew is curious and sets out to get answers
(maybe find out why Cornelius is so stern) with the help of the Hooley’s. He is hoping to help improve Loretta’s
relationship with her father. But you
know what they say about the best of intentions!

A Simple Wish is well-written and
pleasurable to read. It has lovely,
well-constructed characters and a beautiful, caring town. I do not recommend starting with A Simple Wish (you should start with Summer of Secrets).
It would be too confusing for a new reader. There are numerous characters with convoluted
relationships (Simple Gifts series is a spin-off from Seasons of the Heart series). It is nice to return to Willow
Ridge and catch up with these great characters.
There is just the right amount of humor along with compassion, love,
caring, hope, suspicion, and worry along with much more. It showcases real people with complicated
relationships and life issues. My rating
for A Simple Wish is 4 out of 5 stars.
There is some predictability to the story (mostly with the romance). It was nice to see Rebecca find someone to
care about in A Simple Wish. The story talks about forgiveness which is
difficult to do as we can see in A Simple Wish.
I look forward to more books in the Simple Gifts series. The first book in a Simple Gifts series is A Simple Vow.

I appreciate you visiting today. If you are a member of Google+, consider adding me to your circle (at right). I will be sharing my review of Dial Meow for Murder by Bethany Blake next time. Have a delightful day and Happy Reading!

Review Policy

If you would like me to read and review your book, please contact me at Doodlesink@hotmail.com. I enjoy mysteries, paranormal, Christian fiction, and contemporary books. My reviews will be honest and are not influenced by receiving a book for free.